US may force refugees and visa applicants from ‘Muslim ban’ countries to hand over social media passwords

Visitors from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen would be affected by the security measure Getty Images

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) could start forcing visa applicants and refugees from the seven Muslim-majority countries included in President Trump’s controversial executive order to surrender their social media passwords before entering the country.

If the security measures were introduced, visitors from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen would be required to share their account details with officials, who would presumably be permitted to use them to access private information, including pictures and messages.

He also ranted about Mr Robart’s ruling in a Twitter update, saying, “Just cannot believe a judge would put our country in such peril. If something happens blame him and court system. People pouring in. Bad!”

Mr Kelly has also suggested that the DHS could demand financial records from visitors, as it could help officials find “individuals who may be on the payroll of terrorist organizations.”

“When someone says, ‘I’m from this town and this was my occupation,’ [border officials] essentially have to take the word of the individual,” Mr Kelly added.